A Family at Last
by E. Limberg
Summary: Mac is called to a crime scene, and the victim looks suspiciously like Stella. He has the lab do a DNA test. Meanwhile, a print found at the scene matches a man who has the same last name as Stella. Will Stella finally get to know her parents?
1. A Family Tie?

**A Family at Last**

**Chapter 1: A Family Tie?**

"Where is she?" the man demands, thrusting a knife in the woman's face.

"I don't know," the curly haired woman says, shaking with nerves. "Please… let me go."

"What did you do with the baby?"

"I put her in an orphanage. But she's thirty-five now. She could be anywhere. Maybe she left New York."

"Give me a name."

"What are you going to do to her?"

"Nothing," he says, backing away.

"Why do you need a name then?"

"I just want to talk to her."

"Why?" she asks.

"Does it matter to you what I do?"

"She's my daughter. Of course I care."

"She's my daughter too. I never even saw her." The man walks around her chair slowly. "If you care so much about her, why'd you give her away?"

"Because I could barely support myself, let alone a baby. You didn't even care about what happened to us."

"What did you name her?" The woman doesn't answer. "You know something, and you're keeping it from me."

"No, I haven't seen her since I put her in the orphanage."

"What orphanage?"

"St… St. Basil's."

"When's her birthday?" he puts the knife up to her neck.

"April 23, 1971."

"And what is her name?" Again she doesn't answer. "Tell me her name, or I'll kill you."

"Stella. Her name is Stella," the woman starts to shake again.

"Thank you," he says. "Now, what else do you know?"

"She's… still in New York City. She's a detective for NYPD."

"You've been a great help. Now I'll be able to find her," he says. Then, before she can protest, he slits her throat, instantly killing her.

**Family**

Mac stands next to the body, observing the crime scene in front of him. He doesn't notice as Flack walks up beside him.

"Mac," the blue-eyed detective says, "nobody knows anything. I've talked to all of the neighbors. And Lindsay is on her way here now."

"Good," he says, still staring at the body.

"Is something wrong?"

Mac looks up. "No. I'm fine. Any ID on the victim?"

"No, I'm still working on that."

"What would you like me to do?" Lindsay asks, entering the small apartment.

"You can start photographing," he says, taking a swab from his kit. He swabs the blood around the woman's cut on her neck.

Lindsay takes out her camera and begins photographing the body. "Clean cut. No hesitation to kill her."

Both continue their work quietly, gathering everything they find. "I've got a print," she says, holding her fingerprint brush back to study it.

"Could be the killer's. We'll run it when we get back." Again, Mac glances at the body on the chair.

"Is there something wrong, Mac?" she asks, putting the lift in her case.

"No." Lindsay comes to stand next to him. "Does she remind you of anyone?" he asks, glancing at her.

She studies the body for a moment. "Yes. She kind of looks like… like…"

"Stella?" he holds up a photograph of her from his wallet.

"Yeah. Could this be a sister… or maybe even mother?"

"It's possible. Do you know… about her childhood? Where she grew up?"

"No. She's never mentioned it."

"Stella grew up in an orphanage. Her parents left her. Why, we don't know." Mac studies her picture for a moment before placing it back in his wallet. "She can't be involved in this case at all. And for now, I don't want her to know about it."

**A/N: Compared to the last story I put on here, this one does end happy, or at least not with a character death. I forgot what I was going to say... This one should also be updated everyday so I can get it all up before May 2. I still have to post the last two chapters of whatever it's called. Anyway, I got in a fight with dance teacher today about wearing a hat for my pirate dance. The hat we order is back ordered so she went out and bought one. I refuse to wear it so now I have to wear a bandana type this on my head and one of those fake humongous hoop earrings. I don't recall pirates wearing earrings in the movie but okay. I'm still not happy about that. Luckily she won't be able to make me wear anything else next year with Phantom of the Opera because we already have the mask. It's my brother's birthday tomorrow, but his party was today becasue my dad won't be here and he has a soccer game. He just got a bunch of sports stuff. I was trying to take pictures but it didn't work because my cousin was always in the way. I did get one of his cake though, which he'll probably want as his desktop because that's what he had before. It can't be on there now becuase it was deleted when the computer died. Shoot, I lost all my Washington DC pictures too and the flood on our street. Oh, well. I have to reistall all my camera stuff still. I going to shut up now. Maybe I'll go color for bio. Please tell me what you think so far. I hope alerts start working soon. Thanks.**


	2. Where is Mac?

**Chapter 2: Where is Mac?**

Mac sits behind his desk, attempting to be patient. He was having Jane run the DNA test now, comparing the victim's blood to Stella's. In a way, he wanted Stella to know about her family since she had grown up alone, wondering. But on the other hand, she didn't need to find her parents like this: one dead and the other a possible killer.

As he sits in contemplation, his pager goes off: Lindsay has news. Mac stands to find her, still lost in thought. "Hey, what've you got?"

"AFIS came up with a match on the print; the guy's last name is the same as… as Stella's," she lifts a hand to point at the screen.

"Is there an address?"

She prints out the information and hands it to him. "You and Hawkes go check it out. I'll wait for Jane to finish the DNA test and call when she is finished."

"Can you call the orphanage and see if we can get Stella's file? I'm interested in why they didn't keep her," Mac asks.

"Sure. Where did she grow up?"

"St. Basil's. Before you call them, make sure there's nothing on file here about it."

"When are you going to tell her about this?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe when I get back," he grabs Hawkes on his way out of the lab.

Lindsay looks at the screen for a few minutes; this man didn't look much like Stella.

"Have you seen Mac recently, Lindsay?" Stella asks, poking her head in the door.

She hurriedly exits out of the program before the curly haired detective can read the screen. "He took Hawkes with him to go talk to a possible suspect."

"I'll call him then," she pulls out her phone and dials his number.

"What do you need, Stel?" he answers.

"Mind if I take a folder from your desk to work on?"

"Go ahead, and you can take Danny with you."

"Why do I get stuck with him again?"

He ignores her. "Tell Lindsay to go see Sid. He says he's finished the autopsy of our vic."

"Okay," she hangs up. "Sid finished the autopsy. Mac wants you to go see if he has anything interesting."

"See you later, Stel," Lindsay takes off her lab coat and leaves.

Stella makes her way to Mac's office. She quickly glances through the files and picks one to start on.

"What're you doing in there?" Danny teases.

"Mac said you get to come with me again."

"Oh, won't you let me have a break?" he whines.

"No. I'll drive this time," she says, grabbing her kit.

"But I'm hungry. We have to stop and get something to eat," he complains loudly.

"Do you know where Mac or Lindsay is?" Jane asks.

"Mac is out interrogating a suspect, and Lindsay just went to the morgue."

"Thanks," the British woman walks away with her results.

"Well, what are we investigating this time?"

"Homicide."

"I knew that."

"Gun shot to the head."

"This is so boring. Why can't we work with Mac?"

"Stop whining, Danny. Don't you like me?" she jokes.

"Yes, but I want to do something more exciting than this."

"Hey, you could be in prison."

"Okay, it could be worse," he finally agrees.

"Mac's victim had a slit throat; it's not much better than ours."

"Can you please stop and get something to eat? I'm gonna die of starvation here."

"Alright. I'm kind of hungry too."

"Pizza. I can taste it already."

**A/N: I just finished typing this story. Now I just have to edit the last six chapters. Oh, and for those of you who have read past stories of mine, this is the story I wrote during study hall when I had no homework. So while I was typing the last two chapters, I opened iTunes to listen to music. I'm trying to listen to every single song on my iPod and right now I'm in the Ls. "Live Like you Were Dying" by Tim McGraw comes on and I immediately think of Stella. If she ends up testing positive, I think I'll write something using that song. And even if she doesn't I could still use the song. Just so you know, this story, unlike every other one I've written, doesn't end up with Mac and Stella together. There's little hints throughout of something between them, but for some reason, I didn't end it with MS. Sorry all you Mac and Stella fans who are reading this. Hopefully I don't lose all my readers now. I still have another hour before my mom and brother come home from his soccer game. Hm... what can I do. First I have to change the laundry. I'm not looking forward to going to school tomorrow. I won't have trig homework most of the week though because we have a test, which takes two days. Hopefully my history teacher has some good stories this week. Thanks to all who reviewed last chapter. I looking forward to more of them. I'll post chapter three tomorrow.**


	3. Missing

**Chapter 3: Missing**

"Mac, I have your results," Jane says, stopping him as he walks down the hall. "Lindsay is still talking to Sid."

"And?"

"Thirteen alleles in common. It's a match."

"Thanks," he walks off.

On the way, Mac runs into Lindsay, "Oh, hi. Nothing unusual about the body. Adam is running some trace evidence now."

"Seen Stella? The DNA test was a match, and I should tell her about it before she finds out on her own."

"I haven't seen her since an hour ago when she wanted to know where you were. She and Danny got started on another case, I think."

"I'll call and tell her to come see me when she gets back."

"Get anything?"

"No one was home. A neighbor said she hadn't seen him in about a week. I showed a picture of the vic, and she had seen her there a couple times, not in about a month though," Mac informs her. "Said he very well could have killed her; he apparently had a temper. Now I know where Stella gets it from."

"I'm sorry; I couldn't get Sid to stop rambling on. He noticed she looked like Stella too. I told him not to mention anything to her. Anyway, I didn't get a chance to look through her file or call and get it from the orphanage," Lindsay explains. "But I'm on my way."

"Thinking about it, maybe we should go talk to the father and sisters there. I should call Stella first," he pulls out his phone. "Stel, I need to talk with you," he tells her when she answers.

"Okay, meet me at three in my office."

"No, it isn't bad, but it's not exactly good."

"Of course you're not in trouble. See you later," Mac hangs up. "Let's look through her records here first."

"Where are the files?" Lindsay asks.

"Have to get it from the chief. Meet you in layout in ten." They split up, and he goes to the chief's office. "Sir, I need a file."

"What for?"

"Stella. We found her parents. I'd like to see if there's anything in there about why they left her."

The man gets up and pulls out a file from a cabinet. "You tell her yet?"

"We're meeting at three. I'll tell her then."

"You know to keep her away from this case I assume."

"Yes. Thanks, Sir," Mac leaves, file in hand, and heads to the layout room. "Got it."

They spend the next fifteen minutes going through her file. "It's not in here, Mac. Must not have thought it important. There's nothing that even mentions her parents."

"I'll take this back, then we'll head to St. Basil's to see what records they have. There has to be something about them leaving her there, some kind of paperwork," Mac insists.

Both get up and again head in opposite directions. When they meet five minutes later by the elevator, his phone rings. "Taylor."

"I can't find her, Mac. She just disappeared," Danny's panicked voice says hurriedly, incomprehensible.

"Slow down, Danny. Now repeat what you said before."

"She's missing. I can't find her anywhere."

"Who, Danny? Who's missing?" Mac begins to panic too.

"It's Stella. She was here a minute ago, and when I looked up, she was gone. She's not here anymore."

"Stay calm, Danny. We'll be there in ten minutes to help you look for her. Stella will be okay," he says, trying more to calm himself than Danny.

"What's wrong, Mac? Where's Stella?" Lindsay starts to worry.

"I don't know. Danny said she was there one moment and gone the next."

"I hope she's alright."

"Stella will be okay."

"It was our killer, Mac. And he wants to kill her too. Her father took her, but why would he want to kill his own daughter?"

**A/N: You people aren't going to believe how rediculous I am. Okay, so I heard this song in a video at YouTube and I really wanted it. The one illegal website I use doesn't have it, or it does but you only get the first thirty seconds. I downloaded Limewire today just to get one song and then delete the whole program. It took me like ten times downloading this one song to realize that I had to change where I was downloading it to. When I go to play it, the stupid thing plays in Windows Media Player instead of iTunes. I don't know whether you can convert the files or not but anyway, I took a blank CD and used some other program we have to burn it onto the CD, then opened iTunes with the burned CD still in and saved the song on there. I went through a whole lot of trouble for one stupid song. Now I have this disk that I can't do anything with that has one Nickelback song on it. It would be easier if my mom would just let me use iTunes to download. Since we had to restart the computer, I haven't added any illegal music downloading things back onto it. Oh, and happy birthday to Melina Kanakaredes who turns 40 today. When you write out the word 40, does it have a "u" in it? I never figured that out. So I asked on my other story but does anyone who's reading this have a good idea for me to use for a story using a Rascal Flatts' song where Mac and Stella are kind of already dating but they have a big fight over something that could end their friendship? The song is "What Hurts the Most" but I can't think of a reason for them to fight. Please review. Thanks.**


	4. Talking to a Relative

**Chapter 4: Talking to a Relative**

A hand clamps over her mouth, and someone pulls her away from her work. "Don't make a sound, or I'll kill you," the man whispers when they are around the corner from the crime scene.

Stella struggles with him, trying to get away. He pulls her to an SUV and forces her in the back. As soon as he walks around to the other side, she pulls the handle on the door, but it won't open. She tries the other one; no luck.

The front door slams shut," You can't escape."

"Why are you doing this? Who are you?"

He stays silent and starts the car. As they pull away, she hears Danny screaming her name.

"What did you kidnap me for?" she demands.

"You'll find out soon enough."

"Let me go, or I'll kill you," she threatens, reaching for her gun.

"You can't," he holds up her gun.

"You won't get away with this. They'll start and investigation, and Mac will find me before you can kill me."

"I'm not planning on killing you."

"What do you want me for then?" Stella asks, confused.

He pauses, "Just to talk."

"About what?"

Her kidnapper continues to drive, ignoring her question. "Buckle up; it may be a while before you get out."

"Why do you want me? Or did you just randomly choose me because I looked weaker than Danny?" Stella looks out the window, sinking back in the seat. "If you want something from the police, they'll give it to you. Mac wouldn't let you keep me for long."

"Is Mac your boyfriend?"

"No," she replies quickly. "He's my boss."

"Sure sounds like you care about him more than as your boss."

"We're just friends. Why am I telling you this? I don't even know who you are."

"You really have no idea who I am?" the man looks back at her.

"Nope. I don't recognize you," she frowns. "At least, I don't think I know you."

"You'll know soon enough."

"Did you target me for your kidnapping?"

"Yes."

Stella keeps quiet for the rest of the ride, watching the scenery, though it was just skyscrapers, pass by. When he stops the car, she studies the area. "Where are we?"

"I can't tell you that in case you somehow contact one of your friends at work," he opens her door and takes her phone from her pocket. "I'll take this."

She gets out of the car. "I could still kill you without my gun," she whispers, trying to scare him into letting her go.

"I don't doubt that," he takes her arm. "You first."

When they get into the hotel room, the man ties her arms behind her back and to the bed. "What is this for?" she asks confused. "You said you wouldn't kill me."

"I'm not planning on it right now. This is so you don't escape."

"Where would I go? I have no idea where I am."

"It wouldn't be hard for you to get someone to help you," the man heads to the door. "Although, I'll warn you, the people here… they may try to… to hurt you."

"What?" Stella pulls her legs to her chest. "How?"

"Just look at it this way: you're safer in here with me than out there with them."

"Where are you going?"

"Nowhere. I'm going to watch TV, see if they notice you're gone."

"I'm sure they did; Danny was right there," she watches him leave. "Hey, are you ever going to let me go?"

"Eventually," he comes back into the room.

"How soon is that?"

The man shrugs. "You know, you look a lot like your mother."

"You know my mother?" Stella asks cautiously. "Where is she?"

"She's dead. Stella, I'm your father."

**A/N: So we're talking about WWI in Western Civ and today we did the new weapons and technology that came about during the war. One of the things was some kind of gas. Anyway, she told us that this gassed was banned after WWII because it was an "inhumane" way of killing people. Apparently there's rules for war. Who would ever think that there were? And then my teacher went on about how this one way was inhumane but all other ways of killing are humane. There's no humane way to kill someone. It was kind of funny. I also found out I only have to take my Spanish and Band finals. What were going to have to do for band, I don't know. Which means I don't have to go to school the last two days. I get to go on break early. Oh, and we're talking about body systems in bio because we're dissecting a rat next week. So yesterday the teacher says that he found out that people were actually taught that there blood turns blue when in the veins because when you look at the veins in your arm and such, they are blue tinted. And then we got to see pictures from previous years when they did dissections. Everyone was going on about how gross it was; I wasn't bothered by it, but then again, I think some of the dead people on CSI look cool. Plus, someone gets fired on Miami next week. It can't be Horatio though because he has to fire this person for... I can't remember what. I gotta go watch the preview. Well, I'll update tomorrow.**


	5. Gathering Information

**Chapter 5: Gathering Information**

"There's tire marks over here, Mac," Lindsay calls, pulling out her camera.

"Cast it when you're done," Mac turns back to Danny. "Go on."

"When I looked up, she was gone. I didn't hear a thing. This guy was good," he looks at the ground. "I'm gonna feel so bad if something happens to her."

"We have reason to believe it could be her father," Mac informs him.

"Why would he want to kidnap his own daughter?" Danny asks confused. "If he wanted to talk, why didn't he just call her or something?"

"I take it you don't know about Stella's childhood either."

"Know what about Stella? Her father didn't abuse her, did he?"

"No, not that I know of. She grew up in an orphanage, never knew her parents. Lindsay and I had a case this morning; victim was her mother. All our evidence points to what we assume is her father. A print we ran matched his, but we don't have DNA to test yet."

"Did Stella know about her parents?"

"Not yet. We had a meeting later; I was going to tell her then," Mac's phone rings. "Taylor."

"Who are you? Where did you take Stella?" he motions for Danny to call the lab to have the phone number traced. "Is she alive?"

"She's fine, Detective," the man on the other end says. "Would you like to speak with her?"

"Yes. Stella?"

"I'm okay, Mac. I have no idea where I am, but it's not more than twenty minutes from the scene."

"We're going to save you. Don't give up," he assures.

"I know you will," her voice disappears, and the man comes back on.

"I swear I will not hurt her in any way."

"If you give her up, I'll make sure the court goes easier on you. Bring her back to the crime scene you found her at."

"I can't do that. But I'll give her back in a few days," he hangs up.

Mac looks at Danny, hoping he got the number traced. Danny shakes his head. "Hopefully he'll call back. For now, I think she's fine."

"Someone kidnapped her, Mac; she's clearly not alright," Danny yells.

"Danny, I want you to finish this case here. Lindsay will help you. Don't worry about Stella; Hawkes, Flack, and I will find her before something happens. If we need your help, we'll ask," Mac walks away.

**Family**

"I was wondering if I could have a copy of one of your files," Mac asks the receptionist.

"Let me get the Father for you," she pages the man.

"What can I do for you, Detective?" the man shakes Mac's hand before taking him to his office.

"I'd like to see a file of one of the past…," he pauses, not sure what to call her.

"Orphans? Who do you need?" he pulls out a drawer.

"Stella Bonasera."

"Did something happen to Stella?" he hands Mac the file.

"She was kidnapped. We believe it is her father holding her hostage, who is also suspected of murdering her mother," Mac looks through for what he wants.

"Doesn't she work for the police? Do you know her? I haven't seen her in at least five years."

"Yeah, Stella and I are partners," he pulls the picture from his wallet. "Can I get a copy of everything in here?"

The Father has the receptionist take the papers to copy them. "What exactly do you think is going to help you from the paperwork?"

"First, I want to know why her parents abandoned her. See if there's any other information on her parents. Even little details can help us find her."

"Stella's mother came in here alone, saying the father left her, and she couldn't afford to raise her alone. I immediately took the baby. Stella was quite… mischievous when she was little, but she's grown into quite a woman," the Father smiles.

"Thank you for your help. Hopefully we'll find her soon," Mac shakes his hand again before leaving.

**A/N: Nothing much happened today. I had to go get dance pictures taken after school. Then I just finished coloring for biology. Half an hour until Syd gets married on Providence. Then I get to take a shower and watch Criminal Minds and NY. I can't wait. I'm so nervous. It doesn't really matter whether she's positive or negative because she can still work either way. Unless she gets fired after her unprofessional decision next week. My friend thinks Mac is going to get shot tonight. I don't think the guy puts a gun in his face until later in the season, like the last two episodes. It could be the finale; someone gets shot then, but I've read Danny and Lindsay's names in who gets shot, not Mac's. Then again, something always happens to Mac at the end of every season. I'm cold, and I still have to go to all the other sites I check daily. I need to update Bad Turns Good but I don't feel like it. I can't think of anything else to tell you guys. Hope you liked this chapter.**


	6. Questions and an Attempted Escape

**Chapter 6: Questions and an Attempted Escape**

"Why did you and my mother put me in an orphanage?" Stella asks.

"Your mother was eighteen years old and couldn't raise you with the amount of money she had."

"Where were you? Did you even know about me?"

"Yes. I… left her when I found out she was pregnant."

"And when exactly did she die?"

"Last night."

"How do you know? Unless… you were there, weren't you? You probably killed her too," she accuses.

Her father remains quiet. "Don't you work at crime scenes? Do they have any evidence against me?"

"I have no idea. I know Mac had a case, slit throat, I think. They might not have identified the victim yet. Or maybe they did know something; Mac wanted to talk to me about something. He wouldn't say what it was, just that I wasn't in trouble," Stella tries to move into a more comfortable position, which was difficult when she was tied to the bed.

"What would you have done if you had met your mother or me?"

"I don't know. I'm so used to being on my own; it would be easy to just forget you."

"Your mother stayed in contact with the Father at the orphanage. She knew you worked for the police in New York City," the man watches her. "I guess she still wanted to protect you."

She keeps quiet, thinking that over. "Did you kill her or not?"

"I can't tell you that."

"Witnesses aren't as believable as evidence. If they don't have anything, they won't try you."

"But you're a detective."

"But they, the defense, could twist it to say I was lying because I was mad at you for abandoning me."

"Yes, I killed her," he stands, temper rising.

"Why?" Stella pushes. "Why did you kill her? What did she do to you?"

"Nothing. I just did it," he throws a glass lamp at her. It narrowly misses her head. "You. I was angry because of you."

"What did I ever do? I just met you an hour ago," Stella tries to make herself as small as possible, hoping not to get hit by flying objects.

"You existed."

"Calm down," she works at the knot binding her.

The dark-haired man leaves the room, slamming the door behind him.

She relaxes, mind still working on an escape. _He'll kill me if I don't get out of here. Mac may not find me for a few days. _Finally, the rope comes undone, and she is free. Quickly and quietly she moves to the window to see how far the drop is. _Guess I can't go that way. _There was no way she could get down at least twenty stories without injuring herself.

She goes to the door and opens it and tiny bit to see where he is. _I'm trapped. _The man sat on the couch, watching the TV. She closes the door, then opens it and walks out with a sudden idea.

"How'd you get out?" he doesn't make a move to tie her back up.

"Easy: I untied the rope."

"And you didn't escape?"

"It's at least twenty stories out the window; I can't get out that way," Stella sits in a chair. "Besides, you could've realized I was gone and come outside to get me when I reached the ground."

"I haven't heard anything about you missing," he points to the TV.

"Unless they can give a description of you, it's worthless. Half the time it's helpful to the kidnapper. Without knowing your motive, they wouldn't."

"Let's talk about you. Dating anyone?"

"No."

"Really?"

"Yes. I'm not in a relationship."

"So do you like this Mac guy?"

"Why do you care? You haven't cared about me my whole life; you don't have to start now." She runs to the door, hurrying to unlock it.

He grabs her wrists, stopping her from leaving. "It was your mother who gave you up. She told me your name and where to find you right before I killed her."

**A/N: I gotta type this quick because it's storming here and I shouldn't be on the computer. Last night episode... I'm relieved that Stella is negative, Mac was being an... well I'm not going to say it, and for some reason after seeing him get all mad at Stella and Adam, I think he should have pushed they guy off the roof so he would get fired. Also, I will admit it, that lady without eyelids was kind of gross. Normally I think the dead people are cool but that was kind of sick. I really can't wait until next week. So it says on CBS that Stella is forced to remember painful memories when Valens comes to the lab and says that he has evidence that she killed this person. Hm... that reminds me that I need to update my other story. I'll do that tomorrow. We get to dissect a chicken wing tomorrow to learn how to use the tools for the rat dissection next week in bio. On Providence last night, it was the series finale and everyone looked like they were about to cry. Syd was getting married and moving to Chicago with Owen, so I can understand part of the sadness. Or was the whole cast sad because it was the last episode? Saturday I have to be at school by six-fifty in the morning for band. We have states and that is entirely too early to get up on a weekend. I'm gonna shut up now. Please review.**


	7. Safety and Regrets

**Chapter 7: Safety and Regrets**

Mac sits at his desk deep in thought when Hawkes walks in. "Hey, Mac, we got a hit for the tire tracks. Her father owns a car that matches; we put out an alert on the license plate number."

"I should've told her."

"Told her what?"

"If I had told her then instead of waiting, he might not have gotten her. She would've been on the lookout, and he would be stopped before she was taken."

"It isn't your fault Stella was kidnapped. We'll find her before something happens," Sheldon tries to cheer him up.

"I can't do this without her. She's been through so much in the past year; she can't die now. I need her."

"What do you mean by she's been through so much?"

"Well, there was the whole thing with Frankie and the after effects of that. Now she's waiting on test results from the government. Then her father kidnaps her."

"Test results? What's she getting tested for?"

"You didn't know?" Hawkes shakes his head. "Remember the woman whose brother died, and she broke the window in the interrogation room when she saw her reflection? Stella wouldn't listen to us when she got cut. It was because she was bagging a piece of glass earlier in the day, and it broke, cutting her wrist. Later, she found out Emery Gable was HIV positive and went to get tested. These past couple months have been difficult for her. The results should come to her next week."

"Why didn't she tell us? Well, the rest of us anyway."

"You know Stella; she's a very private person. I'm sure she would have told you if she tested positive. Look, you can't tell her I said anything."

"I won't." His pager goes off. "Car's been found. Let's go check it out."

Both men head to the car, getting Flack on the way out.

**Family**

Stella waits until she's sure he's gone before struggling against the new ropes binding her to the bed. After a few minutes, her energy is gone, and she knows it'll be useless to continue fighting; the ropes were just too strong. Exhausted, she starts to drift off to sleep.

Waking when she hears a loud banging coming from the other room, she starts to fight the ropes again, afraid her father had come back to kill her. The bedroom door is kicked in, and a man rushes in. In the dark, she can't recognize the man.

He touches her arm, causing her to try to fight him off with the ropes still binding her. Surprised, he takes a step back, trying not to get hit.

"Go away," she yells. This time, he places a hand on her cheek. "No. No, don't touch me." She turns her head, trying to get his hand off.

"Stella, it's me," Mac says loudly, hoping she can hear him over the noise made from her movements. "You're safe now."

"Mac?" Stella asks, not struggling anymore.

"Yes, it's me. You're okay," he tries to untie the knots.

Flack comes in, flipping on the lights. "There's no one else here. He must've gotten away."

Mac pulls out a pocket knife and cuts the ropes binding her. When free, she throws her arms around him. "He left a while ago and never came back. Said something about returning for me later," she mumbles into his shoulder.

"Get uniforms on the place," Mac orders, leading her out of the room. "Hawkes, see if you can find anything. I'd also like a DNA sample if you can find a hair or something."

"Yes, sir," Sheldon puts gloves on.

"Where are we going?" Stella looks up at him.

"I haven't decided yet." They get into the elevator, and he pushes the lobby button. "Someplace private. We need to talk."

"About what?" she asks. He seems angry, and she feels it is directed at her. "I don't remember doing anything wrong."

"You didn't do anything, Stel," he tries to soften his voice. He was angry, but definitely not at her. "We think the man who kidnapped you is your father."

**A/N: A little over halfway finished with this story. Today we dissected a chicken wing because we had to practice for the rat next week. I didn't get to touch in though because we needed someone to answer questions about the dissection and everyone else had already touched it and got their gloves dirty. I didn't really want chicken on my pencil so I just wrote; plus they said I had the neatest handwriting. Everybody says I have neat handwriting but I don't think so. Maybe that's because they don't see my fanfiction notebook. Sometimes I can't even tell what I wrote. My hands still smell like skunk from the latex gloves. They were really lose; when you see the CSIs with them on, they look like they fit tightly on their hands. I don't pay attention to what they look like on Providence when Syd performs surgeries. Okay, so last night was the pilot and after her mother died at her sister's wedding and she returned to her apartment, they show her walk in and then she starts stripping while walking to the shower because her boyfriend's in there. Then there was another guy in there with him so she breaks up with him. It was kind of random to see her stripping there, not that they actually showed anything but her head. And if their apartment is that big, why did it look like you had to go through the kitchen to get to the shower? I have to update BCTG so I can blab more there. Please review. Alerts are working again.**


	8. So Close to Knowing

**Chapter 8: So Close to Knowing**

"I know he is, Mac. He told me he was. And he killed my mother last night," Stella climbs into the car. "He… he said she talked to the father at the orphanage. She still kept track of how I was doing all these years."

"He didn't say anything about her visiting."

"What? Who's he?"

"The father at the orphanage. I went to see him and get your file. I thought the information could've helped in some way. I'm sorry for invading your privacy," Mac continues to drive the route to the lab.

"It's okay. You just wanted to save me. What exactly did you find out?"

"Nothing real useful in finding you. I… I know why they left you."

"My father left my mother when he found out she was pregnant. She couldn't afford to take care of me. I know it's evidence but can I read what's in there? My whole life I've wondered about it, and now it's so close."

"We didn't use it. I'll let you read it if you go visit the father at the orphanage. He said he hasn't seen you in a long time."

Stella, not wanting to talk about herself, changes the subject. "Why didn't you tell me she was dead?"

"I was going to tell you; that's why I called. It seemed like a thing to talk about in person, not over the phone." He parks the car and goes around to help her out. "I'm sorry I wasn't the one to tell you; you didn't need to find out like you did. And I should have at least warned you so you'd be on the lookout."

"It's okay, Mac. I understand. I didn't get hurt or anything so don't blame yourself," she puts a hand on his cheek.

Embarrassed, he starts to blush. "I'll try not to. I have to call Danny and tell him you're with us now; he was frantic when you went missing. How about we meet in my office in five minutes?"

"Sure," Stella heads to the bathroom while Mac takes out his phone.

"Hey, Danny. Just wanted to let you know we found Stella. She's fine, a little shaken, but okay. We didn't catch her father though. Give me a call if you have any other questions," he leaves a message and heads to his office.

"Sorry I'm late," Stella enters a few minutes later.

"I want you to stay with me until we catch him," Mac says, moving to sit next to her.

"Huh?"

"You know, at my apartment for the next few days. I'm sure he knows where you live so you're not safe at home. And take the rest of today and tomorrow off."

"Okay," she says slowly and looks at her watch. "Actually, Mac, work is over."

"You can be such a pain sometimes, Stel," he smiles. "I think the report can wait. You need a break."

"Okay," she repeats. "I need clothes for tomorrow."

"We'll stop at your apartment so you can get what you need. And we can stop for dinner too."

"I can't go like this. I need a shower."

"Women are such a pain. Stella, you look fine."

"No. I just need to… get him off me."

"Fine. I'll order something when we get home. Oh, and Hawkes kind of found out you might have HIV. I told him not to tell anyone else."

"That's fine."

"Ready to go then?" he stands, leading her to the door.

"Yeah."

**Family**

Mac walks into her closet as she gets a couple outfits for the next few days. "Why do you need all this stuff? Or rather so much of it?"

"I don't know. But I've seen your tie collection, Mac; you've got to have at least a hundred of them."

"I do not. Maybe fifty, at most."

She rolls her eyes, "That's still way too many."

"What is your fascination with my ties, Stella?"

Instead of answering, she just smiles.

"I don't get it."

"You never will, Mac."

**A/N: Stella really does have an obsession with his ties. My band got a two at states today; the other three bands from our school got ones. We didn't do very well at sight reading the one song. Nothing else happened today. I took a nap, sort of, while listening to my iPod. And I fell asleep watching Bones and Numb3rs last night. It wasn't one of those times were I fall asleep halfway through and stay asleep until the credits; I woke up every few minutes and was very lost. Neither of the shows were too interesting though. I don't fall asleep watching Housewives or Providence or NY or Bones when it's on normal time; sometimes I do during Veronica and CSI and always during Criminal Minds after I get a shower. Maybe that's why I don't sleep during NY. I just watched Of Mice and Men with Mac in it. It was so sad; he killed his friend at the end. Sorry to those of you who I just ruined the book for. I don't think I have to read that unless it's summer reading. The lower English class next year reads it, and they read To Kill a Mockingbird. I read that last year for English; it was one of the best books we've had to read for school. Lord of the Flies, which I have yet to finish, is really stupid. Everyone says the end sucks. I need to read that this weekend. Please review and thanks for reading.**


	9. I'm a Mistake

**Chapter 9: I'm a Mistake**

Stella walks into the kitchen, her wet hair returning to its normal curliness after her shower. Mac is setting the table, back to her. "Can I help?"

He jumps. "No, I've got it."

"It's take out, Mac. We don't have to be all fancy."

"This is nothing compared to what Claire would do," he tells her, going to the counter to get the food.

She remembers the few times that they had insisted she have dinner with them. "You don't do this everyday, do you?"

"No, just because I have a guest."

"You really don't have to do this. I mean, you've seen how fancy it is when I've cooked you dinner."

"Stella, that's not fancy."

"It was sarcasm, Mac," she sits down in the chair he pulls out for her.

As they eat their Chinese food, they talk about the day's events and what happened to her when she was kidnapped. After they finish cleaning up, Stella lies down on the couch, ready to fall asleep.

Mac watches her, smiling. "Don't fall asleep there, or I'll have to move you."

"Why? I'm fine right here, or I will be once I find a blanket," she doesn't open her eyes.

He grabs one from the back of a chair and places it on top of her. "I don't understand why you can't get up and move to my bed now so I don't wake you up when I move you."

"Just leave me here, or you're going to have to put up with me all night when you wake me up 'cause I'm not going to be able to fall asleep again."

"And we all know how grumpy you'll be tomorrow without sleep."

"All the more reason not to move me. Now shut up, and let me sleep," she twists so she is lying on her side, away from the light.

"Good thing I won't have to put up with you tomorrow. And neither will anyone else," he teases.

"Are you trying to tell me you're going to purposely work late tomorrow?" Stella mumbles.

"Yes. I'll leave you a list of rules in the kitchen tomorrow morning so I know you won't get into trouble while I'm gone."

"Like what? I'm not going to do anything stupid that'll help him find me."

"First, you can't go outside my apartment."

"Wasn't planning on it unless my father ends up in here somehow," she rolls back over to face him.

For the first time, Mac sees the sadness and fear in her green eyes. "Stel, it's okay for you to be scared of him."

"I'm not," she snaps, not wanting him to think of her as weak.

"You are. He wants to kill you for no reason; anyone would be afraid. Don't hide it from me."

"I guess I was better off in an orphanage than with him. I always thought my life would be better if I was with my parents. Now, all I want is to forget this day, not to know that my mother is dead and that my father killed her and is after me."

He sits down beside her and holds her close to him. "It's not your fault, Stella. He may blame you for whatever it is that caused him to kill her and come after you, but in the end, it's his own fault; if he would've used protection, she wouldn't have gotten pregnant with you." It was a big mistake to say this to her.

"My whole life is a mistake; I shouldn't even exist," Stella takes a deep breath to hold in the tears. "No one wants me anyway."

"That's not true, and you know it. I'm glad to have you by my side; I'd be dead without you here with me."

"No one wanted me when I was born, and I'll die of HIV with only one person who's going to miss me. What a way to live."

Mac, not knowing how what to say to help her, let's her cry into his shoulder. He rubs her back gently.

Finally, she lifts her head. "He told me I look a lot like her."

"Very true. If it helps you to know, you don't look at all like your father."

"Can I see her?"

**A/N: Three more chapters to go. I'm printing out millions of stories from like Christmas time that I have saved to add to my collection. I can barely read them the font is so small. It's like 4.5 or something; I'm trying to reduce the amount of paper I use to print out fanfiction. By the time I get all of this printed out, I'll have another pile of stories to do. I actually don't know what's on my favorites list right now, or rather how many I have on there. And I'm trying to tape one scene of Wednesday's NY where she gets tested and then probably the one where she finds out it's negative. The stupid printer is too loud though so I have to wait. I've got a cassette tape of Mac and Stella scenes, or what they say. What will I do next week when I'm going to want the whole episode practically, or at least all the Stella scenes with her past? I'll have to flip the tape over; she can't be on more that a half an hour total of the show. Or maybe she can. But once you take out the commercials the show can't be more than fourty-five minutes. I still haven't finished Lord of the Flies. I got through ten pages in a half an hour last night. I also have to remember to take the flan out of the oven in less than an hour; that's what I have to make for Cinco de Mayo and we're making sure we understand the recipe. Finally, the printing of half of it is over. I'll update again tomorrow.**


	10. Not Who You Say You Are

**Chapter 10: Not Who You Say You Are**

Stella is seated at Mac's kitchen table, eating a bowl of Cheerios (there was nothing better in his pantry) when her phone rings. "Bonasera."

"We have somewhat good news," Mac says.

"You caught my father?"

"No. Jane ran the DNA on the hair Sheldon took from the hotel room. We got the same name as we did with the fingerprint from the rime scene with your mother."

"I already knew he killed her," she puts another spoonful of cereal into her mouth.

"The DNA on the hair was tested against your DNA in CODIS. There was no match. You aren't related to this guy that's after you."

"And you want me to be happy about this? I'm still all alone."

"Your father could still be out there. If you ask me, I'd bet your mother was having an affair and ended up pregnant. When she told this man that all the records claim to be your father, he got upset and left her. She believed he really was your father. Somehow he found out that he wasn't your father and has come to kill her, which he's already done, for cheating on him and probably to kill you too," he explains his theory.

"Whatever," she says, not caring about her parents anymore; one was dead and the other probably didn't know she existed.

"I'll be there in fifteen minutes to pick you up."

"See you then," Stella hangs up, and just as she finishes her cereal, someone knocks on the door. Thinking nothing of it, she answers it, coming face to face with the man who had kidnapped her. Frozen, she stands there stupidly as he brushes past her to get in.

"I thought you'd have a better hiding spot than this."

"You're not my father," she backs away from him, right into the door.

"What do you mean? Of course I am," he grabs her arm.

"They did a DNA test; I'm not related to you. That's why you want to kill me and why you murdered my mother. She had an affair so you left her. You didn't know she had gotten pregnant. She might not have known at that time either," Stella explains, standing smugly at knowing something about her past before he can tell her. "Mac is on his way here now; you can't hurt me."

"Would you like to make a bet on it?" he surprises her by pulling her arm, jerking her forward.

She doesn't answer, just smiles sweetly at him. He frowns, not sure why she's smiling when he's about to kill her. Without warning, she punches him in the nose.

"Ow," he covers his bleeding nose with his hands. "You're going to pay for that." He tries to grab her with a blood stained hand.

"Get away," she hits his arm off her and runs to her suitcase.

The man follows her, blood dripping a trail on the floor. "You don't deserve to live," he pushes her from the bag, keeping her from her search. "Need your gun to kill me, Stella? I thought they taught you how to defend yourself in police training."

"In case you haven't noticed, you're twice the size of me. Any weaponless attack I try isn't going to work; you'll easily overpower me."

"You would never hurt your father, would you, Stella?" he places his hand on her cheek, covering it in blood.

"I already told you were not related," she surprised him by pushing him with all her strength, knocking him to the ground. Not wasting a second, she continues to rummage through her suitcase until she finds her gun. When she turns back around to point it at him, he is standing right behind her.

He grabs the barrel of the gun and tries to pull it out of her grasp. "Your mother was mad that she got pregnant with you. I was the best thing in he life, and because of you, I left her. That's why she got rid of you; she wanted me back."

"That's not true," Stella yells, continuing to struggle over the gun. Suddenly it goes off, sending a bullet through his stomach. She watches in horror as the only person who possibly knows the truth about her past dies.

**A/N: Everyone in my history class hates me. And it's because I have an A in the class and no one else does. It's not my fault they don't know how to study or take good notes to study from. Most people have a C or D. The one girl who always has the same percent as me or one very close to mine is about ten percentage points lower than me. Of course the teacher hasn't added the big project when we had to interview someone who lived during the Depression or WWII in yet because she hasn't finished them yet. That should hopefully raise these people's grades. My fat, retarded cat is in the computer chair, and she won't move. And my group for the dissection in bio has elected me the writer, I think. No one else volunteered to do so unless I really, really wanted to dissect. I might have the one girl write one of the days and I'll fill out the packet the other. I'm not quite sure why she does write if she thought all the pictures he showed us were gross. Anyway, I got an A+ on the first part of my trig test and I missed one on the other part, which was two points because she doubles the score. And it's a miracle: my bio and trig grades are higher than my Spanish grade percent wise. I always, always have the highest percent in Spanish, which is funny because I hate the class. People always do bad in classes they hate, but I guess I'm adnormal. I think dinner is ready, and I have to eat now because my brother has baseball and I have karate. Hope you liked this chapter.**


	11. Processing

**Chapter 11: Processing**

Mac walks into his apartment, expecting to find Stella waiting anxiously for him. Instead, she is not where in sight. "Stel?"

"I'm in… my bedroom," she says loudly, sitting on the bed with her knees pulled to her chest.

"Are you ready to - ?" he stops in the doorway. "What in the world happened?"

"He got in here, and I broke his nose. I told him your theory and ran to get my gun. We fought over it, and it just went off. I didn't want to kill him, just to keep him from hurting me until you came," she sobs.

"Are you hurt at all?"

"No."

"I've got to call the others to process this. Come to the kitchen with me so you don't have to look at him." When he gets off the phone, he sits down at the table next to her. "I knew I shouldn't have left you here alone. I should have made you sit in my office today so I could make sure he didn't hurt you."

"You did fine, Mac. It's an accident," Stella finds it hard not to reach out and touch his hands.

"I know you didn't mean to kill him. I guess you don't need me to protect you now that he's gone."

"Sure I do. There's plenty of other men out there who want to hurt me," she tries to make him feel needed. "I killed the only person who knows what really happened. Whoever my father is probably doesn't know he has a daughter. Listen, since I made a mess of your apartment, and you won't be able to stay in it for a couple days, why don't you stay with me?"

"I'm not sure about that. I can't intrude on your privacy. Plus, I can afford a hotel room."

"Mac, I get the results in two days. Maybe it'd be good for you to be around so I don't go insane. And whatever the outcome, I know you'll support me."

"Alright, Stel." There is a knock on the door, and he goes to answer it. "She's fine. Right now, she's in the kitchen. The body is down that hall, first door on the right."

Lindsay and Flack come in to talk to Stella while the other two tend to the body. "We need you to tell us what happened, Stel. While we talk, Lindsay will gather evidence from you."

"I had just gotten off the phone with Mac; he told me the guy who took me hostage wasn't my father and that he'd be here soon to pick me up. The doorbell rang, and I went to answer it. It was the guy who claimed to be my father; he just walked in right pass me as I stood there in shock. I explained to him that we weren't related and that he wanted to kill me because my mother had an affair and ended up pregnant. He refused to believe it and grabbed me. I punched him in the nose and ran to get my gun."

"Where was your gun?" Don asks.

"In the bottom of my suitcase in the spare bedroom," Stella answers as Lindsay takes nail scrapings and test for GSR. "Before I found it, he pushed me away. He touched my cheek and asked whether I would really kill my father. I pushed him away and got my gun out. We fought over it. It just went off while we were struggling with each other. Next thing I know, he's lying on the ground, dead. I waited on the bed until Mac came."

"Did Mac touch you at all?" Lindsay swabs the blood on her cheek.

"No."

"If we have other questions, we'll ask you."

"Stel, I need your clothes. The clothes in your suitcase should only need photographing so I'll go get something for you to change into."

"You're done processing me, right? I can go take a shower now?"

"No, you and Mac have to go elsewhere."

"Tell him to pack a bag then so I can go home and get cleaned up," she heads to the bathroom and runs into Mac.

"I'm already packed. We can leave when you're done."

**A/N: One more chapter to go. I might post it later. I have to post the last chapter of BCTG too. Okay, so I have this Spanish project, which we call "dramas" because you have dialouge from the vocab for the chapter involved and sometimes actions. This one is about parties. Our prompt thingy is that we bump into a friend at a party we're having for our parents' anniversary. I've got all the dialouge and just have to come up with a prop. I don't know what to do. Got any suggestions? My partner said something about possibly bringing in a picture of my parents but I don't know. I have to see if we have one somewhere that I could bring. Ooh look, there's one on their dresser. I'm not sure when it's from though. I did good on my history test today over WWI. I only missed five out of seventy-five. That's an A. It dropped my grade like .3 of a percent though. I probably am still the only with an A in the class though. She told us all these dates we had to know, and there were fourteen dates total that she metioned when I went back through my notes and made a study sheet for my friend to quiz me over during lunch today. I knew all of them, except guess what she did: only two of them were on the test. She told us that at least seven of them would be, I just didn't know what battles were on there. Well, I think I save the rat dissection for later to tell you guys about whenever I update one of the two stories later. I have to work some more on that packet thing. Please review.**


	12. Results

**Chapter 12: Results**

Mac stands beside Stella, an arm around her, as her mother is buried. She hadn't wanted anyone else there with her, but he had insisted on inviting the team. "Do you want to be alone?"

She shrugs, not caring. The rest of the team had left already to give them some privacy. "It's not like I knew anything about her."

"Stel, I'm positive she wanted nothing more than to keep you the day you were born. Maybe the part about not being able to pay for a baby was true."

"I'll never know. She was the only one who knew the truth, and now she's gone. Then, I killed the only other person who might have known something."

"Because he would have killed you to get revenge on your mother," he tucks a strand of curls behind her ear. "If you need anything, I'll be at the car."

She stands there, unsure of what to do. Although many people had left her during her life, few of them had died. Plus, this person was someone she wasn't exactly close to. She knew practically nothing about her mother.

A man walks up beside her, not someone she recognizes. After standing there in silence for a while, he speaks. "How did you know her?"

"Oh, she was my mother, but I didn't really… know her. I grew up in an orphanage," Stella turns to face him.

"I'm Tom," he offers not last name. "Your mother and I… dated for a while."

"Stella Bonasera," she shakes his hand.

"Then your father is the reason we broke up. Did you meet him?"

"Yeah. It's a long story. Let's just say he's not really my father but apparently my mom didn't know that. He's the one who… killed her for having an affair and tried to kill me too."

"I'm glad to see you're alright them. I truly did love your mom when we were together. Then that idiot she was going to dump found out about our affair. Instead of leaving him, she left me. I knew no good would come from that decision." He gives her a faint smile. "I should get going, give you two some time alone. Nice to meet you, Stella."

"You too," she watches him leave. After a few more minutes, she heads back to the car.

Mac hugs her. "I know this is awkward timing but… did you get the results yet?"

"They're supposed to come today. Mail's probably been delivered by now."

"I'll take you home and stay until you know."

"Thanks," Stella puts a hand on his cheek.

**Family**

Taking a deep breath, she opens the envelope. "I can't do it," she hands him the papers inside to read.

He skims over the first page, finding himself to be about as nervous as she is. Finally, he reads what he needs. "Negative," Mac shows her the results, about halfway down the page.

"If the results are on that page, what are the other two pages?" They both look through the following pages. "What? They know who my father is?"

"Where?"

She points to the words. "Hey, I met a Tom today at her grave. He said that they had dated… but the guy we thought was my father found out about the affair… why didn't I realize this then? My father was right in front of me. I don't think he knew she was pregnant. I'll probably never see him again," she gives up hope of ever knowing anything about her true family.

"Stel, we can find out where anyone lives. If you want to talk to him, give me the word, and I'll track him down for you," he promises. "Maybe he'd be able to help you figure out why she left you. At least, he'd be able to tell you what she was like."

"I can't thank you enough for all of this. I really appreciate all your help," Stella hugs him. "You're the best friend I've ever had."

**A/N: Okay, I can't say much this time because I've got ten minutes until Providence is on and I have yet to finish my stupid rat packet for bio. I have five more questions to go. I don't think anything exciting happened today except the one girl in bio who was scared to death of touching the rat (see A/N in BCTG, last chapter, if you haven't already, to read all about diessecting yesterday). She held the intestines up for us to see. She still had her gas mask on though. I think my dad is home. Or maybe my mom. Please review.**


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